EVANSTON – The Evanston girls golf team had a goal in mind going into the Class 4A state tournament on the Lady Red Devils’ home course.

They were hoping for a top-three finish during the two-day event that started Monday and concluded Tuesday at Purple Sage Golf Course in Evanston.

The Lady Red Devils’ achieved what they set out to do, earning a third-place finish with a team score of 572.

“I think they did a fantastic job,” head coach Jerry Carroll said.

Evanston senior Alexis Cornell tied for second after shooting a two-day total of 170. Cornell shot an opening round 89, but bounced back with the best score on Day 2 with an 81.

Jacelyn Olson of Kelly Walsh, which won the girls team title with a score of 506, shot 82s on both days to win the individual championship.

“First place would have been pretty cool,” Cornell said. “But I played really well today, so that made up for yesterday.”

Evanston’s Kyra Sponenburgh shot a 182 to also earn All-State honors after tying for sixth place. The Lady Red Devils’ junior shot a 95 during her opening round, but finished strong with an 87 on Day 2.

“I’m really happy,” Sponenburgh said. “I’m really happy I can say I’m one of the top-10 in the state.”

Ally Hanson, a junior who plays soccer in the spring, rounded out the scoring for Evanston with a 220 to finish in 23rd place.

“We put a lot of pressure on Allie Hansen,” Carroll said. “We said, you’ve got to come through for us to get in that top three. She hadn’t been with us full time. She plays soccer in the spring, so that was hard to do.”

Hansen came through for the Lady Red Devils, who finished 63 strokes better than Thunder Basin, which took fourth after shooting a 635.

Natrona was second at 561 and Cheyenne Central was fifth at 645.

“Our goal was to be in the top three in the state with these young ladies,” Carroll said. “They did a really nice job and they did finish in the top three.”

Evanston’s boys finished sixth after posting a team score of 699.

Kelly Walsh won the boys title with a 627 after edging East in a playoff. Sheridan came in third with a 665 after beating Cheyenne Central in a playoff. Natrona rounded out the top-five teams with a 685.

“I think we could have finished a little stronger,” Carroll said. “We wanted (a top-five finish). The good news is, we don’t (graduate) any of them. They’ve got a good chance to come and improve next year.”

Evanston was led by freshman Braxtin Lind, who finished tied for 11th after posting a two-day score of 167. Lind opened his round with a 79 and shot an 88 on the final day.

Brady Hurd tied for 14th. The junior shot a 79 on Day 1 and an 88 on Day 2 for a total of 169.

Conditions were not favorable either day, but Tuesday saw temperatures hover in the mid-30s, with a combination of wind, rain and sleet throughout the afternoon.

“We didn’t have a good second day, and I’m a little disappointed because we think our kids are supposed to be the toughest kids in the state of Wyoming,” Carroll said. “The conditions were tough. They were tough both days. But we tell our kids, that’s how we’re supposed to make up ground on other teams.”

Evanston’s Dominic D’Anzi was consistent both days, shooting scores of 88 and 89 for a 177 total to tie for 29th place. Mason Smith (41st) finished the tournament with a 192 and Mason Ellingford (43rd) rounded out the scoring for the Red Devils with a 200.

Blake Danni of East won the individual title with a 143, while Kirby Coe Kirkham of Sheridan was second at 144. Taj Sutherland of Kelly Walsh and Jordan James of Riverton tied for third after both golfers finished with a 148.

“Next year, I think we will definitely be contenders,” Lind said. “I think if we all get better over the spring and work hard in the summer, I think we’ll definitely be contenders.”

Lind doesn’t mean placing in the top five at the state when he uses the word “contenders.”

He means winning a title.

“I’m not happy about the result, but I enjoyed my first experience at the state golf tournament,” Lind said. “I learned a lot.”

Visit http://bit.ly/2heXoRf for a complete list of the boys team results, and http://bit.ly/2fzRt5C for a complete list of individual boys results.

Visit http://bit.ly/2xlg1Zi for a complete list of the girls team results, and http://bit.ly/2ybMCOU for a complete list of the individual girls results.

NOTE: Pick up a copy of Friday’s paper for more state golf coverage.